After installing service pack 2, I can't see the other
computer on my network. Help
Mike,
Are you running both Client for Microsoft Networks, and File and Printer Sharing
for Microsoft Networks (Local Area Connection - Properties), on each computer?
Do you have shares setup on each?
Are you running NetBIOS Over TCP/IP (Local Area Connection - Properties - TCP/IP
- Properties - Advanced - WINS) on each computer?
Make sure the browser service is running on each computer. Control Panel -
Administrative Tools - Services. Verify that the Computer Browser, and the
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper, services both show with Status = Started.
On any XP Pro computer, check to see if Simple File Sharing (Control Panel -
Folder Options - View - Advanced settings) is enabled or disabled. With XP Pro,
you need to have SFS properly set on each computer.
With XP Pro, if SFS is disabled, check the Local Security Policy (Control Panel
- Administrative Tools). Under Local Policies - Security Options, look at
"Network access: Sharing and security model", and ensure it's set to "Classic -
local users authenticate as themselves".
With XP Pro, if you set the above Local Security Policy to "Guest only", enable
the Guest account, thru Local User Manager (Start - Run - "lusrmgr.msc"). If
"Classic", setup and use a common non-Guest account on all computers. Whichever
account is used, give it an identical, non-blank password on all computers.
For XP Home, OR for XP Pro with Simple File Sharing enabled, make sure that the
Guest account is enabled, on each computer. For XP Pro, enable Guest using
Local User Manager (Start - Run - "lusrmgr.msc"); for XP Home, Start - Run -
"cmd" - type "net user guest /active:yes" in the command window.
Do any of the computers have a software firewall (WF, or third party)? If so,
you need to configure them for file sharing, by enabling the File and Printer
Sharing exception, and / or by identifying the other computers as present in the
Local (Trusted) zone. Firewall configurations are a very common cause of
(network) browser, and file sharing, problems.
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
